COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know on Friday
In Orford Friday, Premier Legault said he hopes public health authorities will soon allow B&Bs to reopen
The latest:
- Quebec has 52,398 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,935 people have died as of Friday, an increase of 255 cases and 33 deaths from a day earlier. The government says 17 of those deaths occurred before May 29.
- There are 1,030 people in hospital (a decrease of 46), including 131 in intensive care (a decrease of 15). Here's a guide to the numbers.
- The province is allowing training for team sports like soccer and baseball to resume, but there will be no games, for now, and players will have to practise physical distancing.
Quebec Premier François Legault was in Orford, in the Eastern Townships, Friday to give his regular update on the spread of COVID-19.
He said the Townships' tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, with Quebecers discouraged to travel between regions.
Legault said the government would be announcing a plan to provide support to the tourism industry in the coming days.
"It's very important that we provide financial support for the auberges and hotels," he said, because they are significant job creators.
Here's a snapshot of the state of COVID-19 infections, by region.
More layoffs at Bombardier
Bombardier will lay off 2,500 aviation workers throughout the year as the company struggles to keep its operations afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a release Friday morning, the Quebec-based transportation company said it is expecting to see a 30 per cent year-over-year loss in business jet sales, forcing it to reduce its workforce.
The company said 1,500 of the layoffs will be at its Quebec facilities and 400 in Ontario, with the rest of the layoffs at its international facilities.
Lessons from the Montreal Heart Institute
As hospitals across Quebec scrambled to cancel surgeries in March, the Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal came up with a very different plan: how to keep its operating rooms going full steam ahead through a pandemic.
The specialty hospital, also known as the Montreal Heart Institute, was told by the government if at all possible, it would not be treating COVID patients. That meant it could keep doing surgery — as long as it remained COVID-free.
It has been largely successful. Of the first 300 patients who underwent surgery at the Université de Montréal-affiliated institute after the start of the pandemic, only six tested positive for the virus in the days and weeks after they were discharged.
